Dubai's major harbor, the Jebel Ali port, is set to undergo a 4.2 billion Emirati dirham ($1.14 billion) infrastructure expansion, designed to raise the facility's traffic handling capacity from the current 4.2 million standard 20-foot container units (TEU) to 21.8 million.

The four-phase project includes dredging and widening of the port's approach channel, constructing three new terminals and 82 berths equipped with 125 quayside cranes. Work, which already commenced in 2002, is scheduled for completion by 2020.

Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE)'s trading hub, is a commercial transit point for shipments to Iran, the Indian subcontinent and central Asia. Run by the Dubai Ports Authority, Jebel Ali port has the largest man-made harbor in the world with 67 berths and extensive dry-dock capability. — (menareport.com)